WESTSHORE ENFORCEMENT BUREAU SWAT TEAM

HISTORY
After many years of cooperative investigations and other police functions the Chiefs of Police from the Northeast Ohio Cities of Bay Village, Fairview Park, Lakewood, North Olmsted, Rocky River, and Westlake prepared, after much research, and presented to the Mayors of the respective cities a plan for coordination of police functions called the Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. (W.E.B.) On September 23, 1970 a meeting of the Mayors from these cities was held and a unanimous agreement was reached that they should proceed with the W.E. B. concept and the plan was presented to the City Councils and approved. Each city contributed funds and the Westshore Enforcement Bureau became a reality.

The Westshore Council of Government (C.O.G.) was created which was composed of the Mayors of these six communities and provided the member communities with a solid legal and statutory foundation under the requirement of "Multi-Jurisdictional." A Board of Directors was appointed to oversee and control the efforts of W.E.B. The Board consists of the Mayor from each member community with the Chairmanship rotating on January 1, of each year. The respective city where the Mayor is the Director (Chairman) of C.O.G. the Chief of Police from the same city would be the Director (Chairman) of W.E.B.

In the late 1960's, due to street rioting, the W.E.B. Chiefs foresaw the need to form a crowd control unit within the Western suburbs. Arrangements were made with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to conduct the training for all the Police Officers from Lakewood, Bay Village, Rocky River, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, and Westlake. This training consisted of techniques used to control crowds and suppress riots. From the original trainees sixty men were assigned to a Riot & Crowd Control Unit. In the spring of 1977 these sixty men were retrained and an additional thirty men were trained to bring the unit to a strength of ninety men. It was at this time that a disaster plan was formulated and the unit was renamed as the W.E.B. Crowd and Disaster Control Unit.

During the 1970's the taking of hostages became a problem throughout the Nation and a need for a specialized unit to handle these situations was recognized. In May of 1975 volunteers from the original Crowd Control Unit were formed into the W.E.B. Task Force. These volunteers received specialized training in hostage and barricaded criminal situations both local and at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. This unit has been used numerous times to handle both hostage and barricade situations and has successfully obtained the release of hostages and the apprehension of barricaded suspects without using deadly force. A typical year for the Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team involves five to ten barricaded suicidal subject call-outs and twenty to thirty high risk warrant service activations.

Early visionaries of the Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team were Captain Tom Davis, Westlake Ohio police (retired), Lt. Carl Metzger, Fairview Park Police Department (retired), Lt. Bob Sharp, Rocky River Police Department and Lt. Eric Schanz, Westlake Police Department.

The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team has evolved through the 1980's and 1990's into the new millennium under the committed leadership of the Unit Commanders and the unwavering support of the W.E.B. Chiefs of Police.

Today's Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team is a unit of specially trained, highly motivated police officers capable of responding to any incident where special weapons and tactics are needed.

SELECTION AND PLACEMENT
The resolution of high-risk police activities requires that only the most dedicated, committed and qualified personnel be selected and trained for any contingency. The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team knows and accepts the responsibility that their actions will be judged to a greater standard of conduct because they are well disciplined, tactically prepared professionals. The SWAT Team's proficiency in the area of physical fitness, firearms, and high risk tactics, demonstrates a commitment to excellence.

The WEB Department selects the best possible candidate based on the selection criteria section of the Personnel Selection policy.

The candidate is tested in job specific physical fitness challenge (obstacle course) and SWAT Team entry firearms proficiency standards.

Officers assigned to the UNIT must successfully complete a twelve month
training and probationary period. During the training/probationary period the
officer will attend and complete a 40 hour basic SWAT school. At any time during the probationary period the officer, upon consensus of the leadership of the team, may be dropped from the team without cause.

TRAINING
The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team trains eight to sixteen hours a month and additional 3 day training blocks during the first and third quarters of each calendar year. A five day training block is conducted every two years where WEB will act as a host agency for specialized tactical training.

Force on force training and physical exertion firearms are a main focus during the training sessions

S.W.A.T. Team members must maintain their physical fitness and firearms proficiency as they are tested twice a year in the obstacle course.

TRAINING DISCIPLINES
The Westshore Enforcement Bureau SWAT team has received advanced training in Hostage Rescue, Slow Clearing, Immediate Action rapid Deployment, High Risk Search Warrants and barricaded suicidal subjects from the Cleveland Ohio Police SWAT, Columbus Ohio Police SWAT, Pittsburgh Police SWAT, Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy, National Tactical Officers Association, Center Mass Inc., Los Angelos County S/O SWAT, and CQB Inc. Chuck Habermehl, to name a few.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES
The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team is charged with the execution of high risk warrants that meet an established criteria matrix under the Threat Assessment for Warrant Service. The Threat Assessment for Warrant service is a self totaling Excel worksheet that offers a checks and balances system, validating the activation of the S.W.A.T. Team.

The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team handles all barricaded persons, hostage rescue, crowd control and all high-risk operations involving surveillance, buy-bust, protection details, open air containment and search.

TEAM ORGANIZATION
The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team is managed by a Unit Commander and three Assistant Unit Commanders. Six team leaders are assigned specified areas of expertise in HRT, less than lethal, sniper/observer, high risk warrant service, slow clearing, and immediate action/rapid response. The Westshore Enforcement Bureau Crisis Negotiation Team has twelve full time police officers trained by the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy (OPOTA) and the FBI in crisis negotiations. Three full-time firefighter/paramedics are members of the Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team as tactical paramedics. The Westshore Enforcement Bureau S.W.A.T. Team is augmented in emergency medicine by team physician Dr. Otis Hastings. The Westshore Enforcement Bureau Crisis Negotiation Team is assisted by Dr. Thomas Evans.

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